Blue letter
Jonathan Seremu, Phoenix, Milnerton
I read with sadness the story about a woman who was struck and killed by a MyCiTi bus along Potsdam Road.
It is more unsettling considering pedestrians are killed this way every year since the launch of MyCiTi buses. Judging by some comments by the mayoral committee member for transport, Felicity Purchase, the authorities seem to care less.
While I appreciate her regret, I do cast aspersion on her comments that the right of way of the MyCiTi buses cruising on the red rapid lane are worth mentioning in such circumstances of a tragedy. Her often repeated appeals for pedestrians to only cross the road at designated crossings and when that green man is flashing should not only be said to wish away the seriousness of the incident. This is tantamount to recklessness and is self- serving.
The readers and the public would want to hear, under such circumstances, that Ms Purchase and her committee are considering solutions to avoid more pedestrians being struck and killed. The starting point is to tell the public the maximum speed at which MyCiTi buses travel. Are they exempted from speeding laws by the baseless excuse of cruising on the “slaughter” red rapid lane? Is it because they are the authorities’ milk cow?
Ms Purchase and her committee are privileged to not use public transport. So their chances of being struck are as remote as planet Mars. However, it is worth for them to ponder the following: To come up with an idea of installing alarm bells on installed poles along the red lane to warn pedestrians of an approaching MyCiTi buses or MyCiTi buses can have flash lights, flashing all the time they ate in motion, installed on them to make them visible or to consider erecting a palisade fence along one side of the red rapid lane.
Given the technological expertise out there, I am certain they can hatch something from the above.
The bold message to Ms Purchase is we cannot “purchase” the sacred lives of pedestrians who continue to be expunged by MyCiTi buses. The public is getting restless.
Finally, MyCiTi buses should be subjected to road traffic laws as other vehicles on the road, ie speeding fines and the drivers or MyCiTi buses charged for negligence, etc.